Silverstone FIA F2 races preview 05.07.2018: FIA FORMULA 2 Championship 2018 Round 7 preview: Silverstone, Great Britain All the vital facts and figures ahead of Silverstone

FIA FORMULA 2 Championship
2018 Round 7 preview: Silverstone, Great Britain



 
All the vital facts and figures ahead of Silverstone
 



 
Season Stats


87 The number of laps led so far this season by Artem Markelov, the most of anyone this season.


5 The number of podium finishes achieved by George Russell and Lando Norris, the current highest.


7 The number of different F2 winners in 2018.

22 The points gap between third and sixth in the Teams’ Championship
 




Warm Up with George Russell – ART Grand Prix



“Silverstone is one of my personal favourite circuits, it’s an incredible track to drive and it’s extremely flowing with a lot of high-speed corners.



It’s very tricky to master, and so many corners lead onto another so it’s easy to make a mistake and lose grip. It’s going to be a tricky weekend, it’s a circuit that’s very demanding on the tyres and in the race we’ll have the hard compound so that’s going to be new for all of the teams. It’s one I’m really looking forward to.
 


“One of the main overtaking spots has to be coming out of the high-speed corners, particularly on the run out of Maggotts and Becketts into Stowe, but also going into turn 3 – which is a big braking zone after turns 1 and 2, and there’s a few variants of line going into that corner so it gives the drivers more options to fight for an overtake.



The weather’s been pretty decent over the last few years and I’ve never raced here in the rain, so it would be nice to have a clean, sunny weekend – especially for the fans!”
 



The Stakes        



The FIA Formula 2 Championship will also race in Silverstone for the final leg of the mid-season triple header, providing a homecoming for a number of teams and drivers as they return to Great Britain for the seventh round of the calendar.



With a blend of fast corners, long straights and slower technical sections, Silverstone will provide the field with a stern challenge and promises to deliver an exciting spectacle. 2017 F2 winner Charles Leclerc took victory in last year’s Feature Race, as DAMS’ Nicholas Latifi won out in the Sprint.
 


With George Russell now leading the F2 standings with 132 points - 10 points ahead of Lando Norris, the home supporters will have plenty to cheer for, and will add another level of excitement to their championship battle.



Artem Markelov has moved up to third with a thrilling pair of drives last time out in Austria. Carlin remain in charge of Teams’ Championship with 208 points, 27 points clear of ART Grand Prix, as Charouz Racing System occupy third with 126 – 3 points clear of DAMS.
 


As the championship battle rages on – and the gap between third and sixth in the standings separated by just 12 points – there’s plenty to be won and lost in Silverstone. Pirelli will provide their hard compound for the first time this season along with the soft tyre, offering plenty of tactical opportunities for the drivers on the grid.
 



 
Noteworthy



·         The race weekend in Silverstone is the seventh of the 12 rounds which make up the 2018 FIA Formula 2 calendar.


·         The F2 teams are based in the National paddock, formerly used by Formula 1 until the completion of The Wing in 2011.


·         Last season, 2017 FIA F2 Champion Charles Leclerc took victory in the Feature Race at Silverstone, while DAMS’ Nicolas Latifi secured victory in the Sprint Race.


·         Current F2 drivers Luca Ghiotto and Artem Markelov left Britain with podium finishes last year.


·         In the previous round at Spielberg, George Russell took his fourth victory of the season, and ART Grand Prix’s fifth.


·         Markelov took his third victory of the season to move up to third in the standings, as a non-score round for Nyck de Vries helped him drop from third to seventh.


·         Only Campos Racing and PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing failed to score points in Austria.


·         For the seventh consecutive round there will be no driver changes, a record for the category.


·         The race at Silverstone is third in a series of three back-to-back rounds.




TIME SCHEDULE

Data (GMT+1)
 
Friday

Free Practice: 11:55 – 12:40
Qualifying session: 16:10 – 16:40
 


Saturday

Feature race: 15:45 (29 laps)
 
Sunday

Sprint race: 9:20 (21 laps)




- Alexa Quintin, photo FIA F2